Vehicle Weathering Colours
20th and 21st Century
Scale models of tanks, APCs, trucks, and other vehicles come to life if they are weathered properly to show the signs of daily wear and tear.
- Dust, Dirt, and Mud
- Vehicle Track Colours
- Oil, and Petrol Stains
Weathering Colours
| Designation | Xtracolor | Humbrol | Revell | Testors | Tamiya | Gunze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnt Metal | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mixing Instructions: Silver (40 %), Gold (40 %), Red Brown (20 %). To be used on overheated steel parts like exhaust covers. | ||||||
| Oil | – | – | – | – | – | H342 |
| Stain around fuel filler caps. | ||||||
| Soot | – | – | – | – | – | H343 |
| Exhaust stains, and around muzzle brake. | ||||||
| Rust | – | – | – | – | – | H344 |
| Exposed metal parts, tracks of stationary vehicles. | ||||||
| Rusty Tracks | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Humbrol/Tamiya Mixing Instructions: 160 or XF-64 Red Brown (50 %), 33 or XF-2 Flat White (30 %), 29 or XF-52 Flat Earth (10 %), 49 or X21 Matt Base (10 %). | ||||||
| Mud | – | – | – | – | – | H341 |
| Apply to tracks and tires. | ||||||
| Sand | – | – | – | – | – | H346 |
| Track colour of operational tanks, and dust on vehicles. | ||||||
| Road Dirt Grey |
– | – | – | – | – | H345 |
| Track colour of operational tanks, and dust on vehicles. | ||||||
| Road Dirt Brown |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| Humbrol/Tamiya Mixing Instructions: 29 or XF-52 Flat Earth (50 %), 33 or XF-1 Flat Black (25 %), 49 or X21 Matt Base (25 %). Track colour of operational tanks, and dust on vehicles. | ||||||
| Road Dirt Red Brown Normandy |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| Humbrol/Tamiya Mixing Instructions: 29 or XF-52 Flat Earth (50 %), 34 or XF-2 Flat White (30 %), 160 or XF-64 Red Brown (20 %). Track colour of operational tanks, and dust on vehicles. | ||||||
Tank tracks churn up soft ground, and they pick up the colour of the fresh dirt they are driven through. Caked mud turns much lighter in colour as it dries. Vehicles driven over dry ground will pick up dust, especially if the road surface is not paved. Again, the ground and the running gear will be the same colour, and the vehicle should be dusty overall.